Martin Odegaard exclusive: Arsenal captain laughs off 'funny' set-piece criticism, eyes UEFA Champions League 'dream'
Updated 11/12/2024 at 10:55 GMT
Martin Odegaard admitted ahead of Wednesday's encounter with Monaco that the "big goal" at Arsenal this season was to win the UEFA Champions League. The Gunners have not won any silverware under Mikel Arteta since claiming the FA Cup back in 2020. The Arsenal captain also laughed off criticism that The Gunners have received for their dominance from set pieces this term.
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Martin Odegaard admitted that the "big goal" at Arsenal this season was to win the UEFA Champions League.
Arsenal are fighting on all four fronts this term, with their Champions League encounter against Monaco on Wednesday an opportunity to improve their position in Europe. The game will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The Gunners claimed the FA Cup in Mikel Arteta's first season in charge back in 2020, but have not won anything since, despite challenging for the Premier League across the past two seasons.
However, club skipper Odegaard insisted Arsenal were determined to break their trophy drought this season, with Champions League glory being the "big goal for everyone".
When asked whether winning the Champions League was a target, the Norwegian told TNT Sports: "Yeah, that’s the goal. That’s what we all want.
"I think a club like Arsenal should be in the biggest competitions and fight for trophies. That’s the big dream and the big goal for everyone.
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"We have to take it step by step, but that’s the dream for everyone."
Odegaard continued: "I think a feeling we all have is that we believe in what we’re doing.
"As a club – the players, staff and supporters – everyone believes in what we are doing, and we’re in a really good way.
"We have to take it step by step, keep improving and keep working hard, and I think we have so much potential in this group. We’re just going to push each other every day, and we’ll see where it takes us, but the goal is definitely to win some big trophies."
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Odegaard laughs off set-piece criticism
Set pieces have been a feature of Arsenal’s success this season.
Indeed, William Saliba’s equaliser from a corner at Fulham on Sunday was the ninth time Arteta's side had scored from a set-piece in the league this season.
It was also the 23rd occasion that Arsenal had netted from a corner since the start of last term – more than any other side in Europe's top five leagues.
Such dominance from dead-ball situations has led to criticism from certain corners, something which Odegaard laughed off.
"It's funny to watch," he admitted. "Suddenly people start to criticise you for being good at something – that’s a bit funny.
"I think Mikel said that we want to be the best at everything we do and set pieces are an important part of football.
"They’re something we really want to dominate at. We’re doing well at the moment so we just have to keep it up and keep scoring."
TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024-25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
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